600 Hours in Britain, Three Lessons for Life, Bigger Dreams | Philip Mboh

In the second week of the month of July 2026, I boarded a plane from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The trip was primarily to attend my senior brother’s graduation ceremony from the university.

To begin with, this was the very first time I was to board a plane, talk less of stopping at other international airports like Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa and Frankfurt International Airport, which marvelled me a lot and exposed me to so much, from their busy nature and infrastructure to their business alliances and vast network, but nothing else could be more meaningful to me than landing in Birmingham Airport and treading on British soil.

Upon arrival in the UK, I had the wonderful opportunity to tour some big cities and some countryside towns, as well as the Bullring train station at the heart of the city centre in Birmingham. I actually realized that England is not exactly as it may be portrayed in 007 movies or another British cinema. Most of the big and bustling cities have diverse inhabitants with lots of Asian, African, European, and even South American communities. Walking through some streets of these cities could evoke a feeling of travelling across these continents, but still in traditional British building architecture and design.

After spending roughly 600 hours in Great Britain, I got to learn 3 pivotal lessons of my life that I would have never thought I would need until now. Firstly, Acute Time Management. In that country, each single second matters to the people. It may sound funny now, but I almost missed my flight back to Cameroon after entering the plane only a few minutes before take-off. This showed me that the world does not run at my pace, and things like schedules make even more sense now.

Secondly, Respect for Difference in perspective. Seeing a mix of different cultures reminded me that there is rarely just one way of doing or solving something and that how I perceive an idea is just one way of looking at it.

Finally, hard work and discipline. Being with my brother, I was able to observe and understand the hard work, discipline, and sacrifices he had put in to get to this level of achievement. This reminded me of Gandhi’s words: “The future depends on whatever you do today”.

I went to the UK expecting to see just new places. Instead, I found a new perspective. I am returning home with lessons learned, strong confidence, more curiosity, and even bigger dreams and ambitions.

I would like to end by saying a big thank you to my parents who guided me throughout this journey. A special thank you to the Open Dreams family for their support and continuous assistance while I was out of the country. They always reminded me of the importance of such an opportunity and helped me make the most of it. I am equally immensely grateful to the Almighty God for the journey mercies, provision, and much more. - Philip Mboh | Open Dreams